Ambulance Stretcher Base with U-Shaped Beams and Foam Core
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional stretcher tables for vehicles, such as ambulances, have a high weight that increases the overall weight of the vehicle and its fuel consumption, while also being inflexible in terms of storage and usage variability.
Innovation Solution
A stretcher table design featuring a load-bearing base body with a U-shaped cross-sectional geometry, composed of lightweight materials and a sandwich construction with foam filling, which reduces weight and enhances rigidity, allowing for a compact and versatile solution with a weight-saving design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional stretcher tables are used with heavy frame structures, then structural strength and stability are improved, but vehicle weight increases and fuel consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite material construction for the stretcher table base, combining aluminum alloy profiles with foam core insulation material. This composite structure achieves the required structural strength and stability while significantly reducing the overall weight compared to conventional solid metal frames, directly resolving the contradiction between strength and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The aluminum alloy profiles are strategically positioned at critical load-bearing locations (longitudinal beams and transverse connections) to provide local strength enhancement, while the foam core fills the remaining space to provide insulation and additional structural support. This localized quality distribution optimizes the strength-to-weight ratio throughout the structure.
2Stability of the object's composition
If conventional stretcher tables with solid construction are used, then structural rigidity is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The composite construction using aluminum alloy profiles with foam core creates a structurally rigid assembly. The foam material, while lightweight, provides substantial structural support when properly bonded to the aluminum framework, achieving rigidity comparable to solid construction at a fraction of the weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The design transitions from a two-dimensional solid frame to a three-dimensional composite structure with the foam core filling the internal volume. This dimensional expansion allows the structure to gain rigidity through volumetric distribution of material rather than relying solely on thick walls or heavy framing.
3Weight of moving object
If lightweight materials are used for the stretcher table, then weight is reduced, but structural strength may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The aluminum alloy-foam composite combines the high strength-to-weight ratio of aluminum with the lightweight properties of foam. The aluminum profiles bear the primary structural loads while the foam provides distributed support, creating a lightweight structure that meets or exceeds the strength requirements of heavier conventional designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The structure is segmented into a modular framework of aluminum profiles connected at specific joints, with foam infill between the segments. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall structural integrity through the interconnected framework.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution achieves a weight reduction of nearly 50% compared to traditional stretcher tables, providing improved weight and functional optimization while maintaining structural integrity and flexibility in use, including efficient storage and adaptability for various medical equipment.
Implementation Method 1
The invention allows for the realization of stretcher tables with a total weight of less than 60 kg and even less than 50 kg. The base has an upper part consisting of an upper shell and a lower shell, between which at least one cavity is formed. With a suitable geometric design of the upper and lower shells, a high degree of stiffness can already be achieved, especially for a single surface element. However, the stiffness is significantly increased further—with only a slight increase in overall weight—because the aforementioned cavity formed by the upper and lower shells is filled with a foam material.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a stretcher table (1) for receiving a stretcher, particularly in a vehicle, such as an ambulance. The invention is based on the objective of providing a stretcher table (1) that is functionally improved, particularly with regard to its overall weight and its versatility.A stretcher table (1) according to the invention has a load-bearing base body (2) for receiving a stretcher, wherein the base body (2) has at least one surface element extending at least over a large part of the length of the base body, which is at least part of an upper part (4) extending predominantly in the longitudinal and transverse directions for receiving a stretcher, wherein at least two longitudinal beams extending in the vertical direction and in the longitudinal direction of the base body (2) are provided and wherein an upper section of each longitudinal beam is connected to the surface element in such a way that a U-shaped cross-sectional geometry with downwardly oriented legs of the "U" is obtained.